The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Riverside, Geneva reign at chilly Red Raider Relays
Beavers boys squad racks up five event wins; Geneva girls win meet for third straight time
Such is life with early-April invitationals, unfortunately the best Mother Nature could offer April 3 for the Red Raider Relays at Harvey didn’t happen until the buses were ready to exit.
Despite the chill in the air for much of the day, though, the Riverside boys could pull out of Recreation Park with the thrill of a team title as some semblance of normalcy returns this spring — particularly knowing there’s room for growth.
The Beavers rolled to the boys team title with five event wins, 14 top threes and 114 points.
Generally speaking NewsHerald coverage area-wise, there was nothing earth-shattering as far as performances went at this invitational — nor should there have been before
Easter.
But the diversity in Riverside’s repertoire, scoring points across the facility, will undoubtedly bode well as business picks up.
“I think as a team, we really mesh well on the guys’ side, and it kind of showed today with all the relays, especially in the distance,” said junior Bryce Weber, a 2019 Division I regional qualifier on the Beavers’ 4x800-meter relay who ran legs at Harvey on the victorious distance medley and runner-up 4x8.
“Our 4x8 fell short in getting second, but on DMR, we really went out knowing we deserved this win. And I think the sprints felt the same way. The (sprint medley) had a great finish, with the 400 coming down to the end. I think we just trust in each other. I think that’s what showed today.”
“I think this is huge, stepping right out of the gate, getting a victory over some quality teams here ...” — Geneva girls track and field coach Chip Sorber
See a photo collection and video from the meet.
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“Just going out there, knowing you have to run 800 meters or run a mile, and it’s just legs pounding and the wind hitting your face.”
— Riverside’s Bryce Weber
As Weber alluded, Riverside got a solid win in SMR, with Aidan Leopold holding off the host Red Raiders’ J.T. Basco on the 400 anchor leg as the Beavers prevailed with a time of 1 minute, 45.23 seconds.
DMR reigned convincingly with an 11:35.12, and a returning Mason Stephens was an encouraging sight in field events. The senior, who was 2019 D-I state indoor high jump runner-up at 6-8, took an attempt at 6-0 while still working his way back to 100% health and cleared it as Riverside took first in that relay.
Temperatures in the 30s for much of the meet — not to mention, of course, returning to competition at all and shaking off rust after the canceled 2020 outdoor season due to the novel coronavirus pandemic — presents its challenges.
“Just going out there, knowing you have to run 800 meters or run a mile, and it’s just legs pounding and the wind hitting your face,” Weber said. “It’s really hard to get motivated and get going. But after your first race, usually things start to flow a little bit better.
“And I think, just knowing we were going to come away with the win here kind of excited everybody.”
On the girls side, a young Geneva squad won this meet for the third time in a row and fifth for the always formidable program since 2013 with 101 points, six event titles and 11 top threes. Junior Renee Tetlow ran legs on the Eagles’ first-place 4x8 (10:38.48) and DMR (14:06.85).
Gone are many of the familiar faces of recent years from the Ashtabula County powerhouse, including Elizabeth Joy, Tayler Jamison, Deidra Marrison, Taylor Cupp and Cheyanne Santiago — along with longtime coach Bobby McQuoid, who stepped down after 16 seasons last year.
So a mature performance at Harvey by a youthful squad was a welcome sight for first-year Geneva girls coach, and Eagles football mentor, Chip Sorber.
“I think this is huge, stepping right out of the gate, getting a victory over some quality teams here — and considering half the girls we brought today were freshmen that never had a chance to compete,” Sorber said. “Other teams had the same situation I’m sure, but our upperclassmen did a great job getting our young kids focused and ready to go.
“We have a very talented freshman class. And I think everybody showed up today and pulled their own weight to a first-place finish, and we’re extremely happy with that.”
Geneva multi-sport stalwart Charlie Taylor logged one of the top individual performances of the day with a meetbest 47-3 as part of the winning shot put relay. The senior, who broke through for a D-I state shot put berth as a sophomore in 2019, the Eagles’ sixth state berth all-time in boys shot put and second since 2016, was nearly seven feet better than the second-best throw with that low-47.
“If I can throw a 47 in the cold, I can definitely pop a 50-plus on a good warm day,” Taylor said. “(Getting speed in the circle when it’s cold is) actually really hard, because your joints tighten up and your muscles do, too. No blood is flowing, so it’s hard to get going.”
Harvey senior Mario Sturdivant had a nice day at his home facility, reeling in a 4x1 win with a firstclass last-50 kick and hitting a 19-6 ½ on the Red Raiders’ first-place long jump relay.